Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Dear Citi, You screwed up big time


In 2009, you helped push Citi to announce a “robust MTR Environmental Due Diligence Process,” giving hope that the bank would reduce its financial backing for mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining.

We’ve now discovered Citi’s mountaintop removal “due diligence process” is not worth the paper it’s printed on!

Join us in calling on Citi to stop funding mountaintop removal.  212 559 1000

MTR is a crime against America’s environment and people. Every day MTR coal corporations literally blow the tops off Appalachia‘s mountains: clear-cutting forests, wiping out natural habitats and poisoning rivers and drinking water. Not only are these mountains lost forever, but also the heritage and the health of families across the region are being sacrificed.

Last weekend, mountaintop removal mining company Alpha Natural Resources announced that it was purchasing Massey Energy, formerly the largest and most nefarious mountaintop removal company in Appalachia. Together, Massey and Alpha are responsible for more than 26 percent of all mountaintop mining in Central Appalachia. Citi is responsible for funding this toxic merger.

Join us in calling on Citi to stop funding mountaintop mining all together. 212 559 1000

Thanks for all that you do.

For the mountains,

Amanda Starbuck, Annie Sartor and Scott Parkin

Global Finance Campaign Team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Bankrate.com


Bankrate.com    Here are stories published today.

 How to get a credit consolidation loan | 2011-02-03

A credit consolidation loan can be a good tool. Here’s how to choose the right loan.

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/debt/how-to-get-a-credit-consolidation-loan.aspx?ec_id=brmint_newsalert_20110202

Bump up your credit score | 2011-02-03

How much of your credit card limit should you use? http://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/how-to-bump-up-your-credit-score.aspx?ec_id=brmint_newsalert_20110202

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tell Congress: Stop wasting taxpayer money on bottled water


During and after the State of the Union last Tuesday, President Obama and Congressional Republicans waxed poetic about the need to cut wasteful spending in Washington. Here’s an easy place to start:

According to Corporate Accountability International, Congress spent nearly $200,000 on bottled water in just three months last year. Recent studies estimate that bottled water costs almost 2,000 times more than tap water – even though the two types of water often come from the same sources.

Besides being a waste of money, bottled water is terrible for the environment: The energy needed to produce the plastic consumption is enough to fuel three million cars for a year. Nearly one million tons of plastic bottles are discarded as litter each year, ending up in landfills, lakes and streams. What’s more, public water infrastructure in DC and around the whole country needs all the support it can get— especially from Congress.

Tell Congress to stop wasting our money and end its use of bottled water. www.change.org

To sweeten the deal, DC Water (a local utility) has even offered to provide every member of Congress with a reusable water bottle as well as free water quality testing systems for Congressional office buildings.

When members of Congress complain about wasteful spending, they should curb their own bad habits first.

Sign this petition today to tell Congress to end its use of bottled water:

www.change.org 

Thanks for taking action,

Judith and the Change.org team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Vote Imminent: Senate Takes Up Health Care Law Repeal


 

We Can’t Go Back to Being at the Mercy of Insurance Companies

Call your Senators today and tell them to vote NO on repealing the health care law.

Call 877-667-6650

Yes, they are at it again. Are health care law opponents creating more jobs and helping our struggling economy, you ask? Nope, not until they have accomplished political priority #1 — scoring points with their base by trying to repeal the health care law, even though that would harm women’s health.

A vote in the Senate to repeal the health care law is imminent. Call your Senators today at 877-667-6650 and tell them to vote NO on repealing the health care law.

I know you’ve sent letters and called your Members of Congress in the past to tell them you support the health care law — but let me explain why we need you to pick up the phone again to protect this critical law.

Because of the health care law:

a mother who is diagnosed with breast cancer can focus on her treatment and not worry about whether her insurance company will drop her because she got sick;

a young boy who has type 1 diabetes won’t have trouble getting health care coverage because of a pre-existing condition or face a lifetime cap on coverage;

a young woman can go to her gynecologist and get a pap smear without a referral and without paying a co-pay.

Repealing the health care law will take away these important benefits — and more — that women and their families are already enjoying. It will also re-open the door to discriminatory insurance practices like charging women more than men for health care coverage and denying coverage to mothers who have had Caesarean sections and domestic violence survivors under the guise that these are “pre-existing conditions.”

Women and their families can’t go back to being at the mercy of insurance companies. Call your Senators today at 877-667-6650 and tell them to vote NO on repealing the health care law.

Please send a strong message of support for the law. Call your Senators today.

Sincerely,

Judy Waxman

Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights

National Women’s Law Center

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Congress -what is going on in the Senate 2/2, 2/3 & 2/4


 The Senate Convenes at 10:00amET Friday 4, 2011

Following any Leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

There will be no roll call votes during Friday’s session of the Senate.

By unanimous consent, the Senate locked in the agreement outlined below with respect to Executive nominations. As a result of this agreement, there will be 2 roll call votes at 5:30pm on Monday.

On Monday, February 7, 2011, at 4:30 pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider the following nominations:

– Calendar #3 Paul Holmes, of AR, to be US District Judge for the Western District of Arkansas;

– Calendar #6 Diana Saldana, of TX, to be US District Judge for the Southern District of Texas;

– Calendar #8 Marco Hernandez, of OR, to be US District Judge for the District of Oregon.

There will be one hour for debate equally divided in the usual form. Upon the use or yielding back of time, Calendar #8 will be confirmed and the Senate will proceed to vote on confirmation of Calendar #3 and Calendar #6 in that order.

As a result of this agreement, at 5:30pm on Monday, February 7, there will be 2 roll call votes on confirmation of the following nominations:

– Calendar #3 Paul Holmes, of AR, to be US District Judge for the Western District of Arkansas; and

– Calendar #6 Diana Saldana, of TX, to be US District Judge for the Southern District of Texas;

———————————————————————————————-

The Senate Convenes at 9:30amET February 3, 2011

Morning business until 10:30am.

Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of S.223, the FAA Authorization bill.

The following amendments are pending to S.223:

– Whitehouse amendment #8 (laser pointers)

– Wicker amendment #14 (Excludes TSA from collective bargaining)

– Blunt amendment #5 (private screening company)

– Nelson (FL) #34 (NASA)

– Paul #21 (reduce authorization for FAA to FY2008 levels)

– Wyden #27 (increase test sites for unmanned aerial vehicles)

– Paul #19 (Davis Bacon)

Other Senators are waiting to offer their amendments. Senators will be notified when any votes are scheduled.

1-3pm morning business for the purpose of giving remarks relative to the upcoming centennial of the birth of President Ronald Reagan.

3:00pm Senator Manchin will give his maiden speech to the Senate.

The Senate has entered into an agreement that provides for 2 roll call votes around 5:20pm, if all time is used. Please note that some time may be yielded back and the votes could begin earlier.

Under the agreement, Senator Paul will call up amendment #19 (Davis Bacon). There will then be up to 30 minutes for debate equally divided between Senators Paul and Rockefeller, or their designees. There will then be up to 10 minutes for debate equally divided on the Whitehouse amendment #8 (laser pointers) between Senators Whitehouse and Hutchison, or their designees.

Upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate will proceed to vote in relation to the following amendments:

– Whitehouse #8 (laser pointers)

– Paul #19 (Davis Bacon)

There will be no amendments or points of order in order prior to the votes.

Votes:

10: Whitehouse amendment #8: (laser pointers);

Agreed To: 96-1

11: Rockefeller motion to table the Paul amendment #19: (Davis Bacon);

Tabled: 55-42

Unanimous Consent:

Adopted S.Res.42, a resolution making Majority Party committee appointments.

Adopted S.Res.43, a resolution making Minority Party committee appointments.

Adopted S.Res.44, a resolution supporting democracy, universal rights, and the peaceful transition to a representative government in Egypt.

Adopted S.Res.45, a resolution congratulating the Eastern Washington University Football team for winning the 2010 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision title.

—————————————-

 the Senate Convenes at 10:00amET Wednesday

Following any Leader remarks, Senator Paul will be recognized for up to 20 minutes in morning business to deliver his maiden speech.

Following his remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of S.223, the Federal Aviation Administration bill.

The following amendments are pending to S.223, FAA Authorization:

– Stabenow #9 (1099 Reporting)

– McConnell #13 (Health Care Repeal)

– Levin #28 (1099 repeal)

This morning in his opening statement, Senator Reid announced to his colleagues that he spoke to Senator McConnell and they agreed to work towards having up to 3 roll call votes in the 5-6pm range this evening.

Those votes would be in relation to the following amendments to S.223, FAA Authorization:

– Possible Democratic amendment (1099 Reporting);

– Stabenow amendment #9 (1099 Reporting); and

– McConnell amendment #13 (Health Care Law Repeal).

At 5:15pm, the Senate will proceed to a series of 3 roll call votes in relation to the following amendments to S.223, FAA Authorization:

– Levin amendment #28 (repeal of 1099 with oil and gas offset);

– Stabenow amendment #9 (repeal of 1099 with unspent discretionary funds offset, exempts DoD, VA and Social Security Administration); and

– McConnell amendment #13 (repeal of health care reform).

The Levin amendment is subject to an affirmative 60-vote threshold for its adoption. No other amendments, points of order or motions are in order to these amendments prior to the votes except a Budge point of order, if applicable.

There will be 2 minutes for debate prior to each vote. The first vote will be 15 minutes in duration and the remaining 2 votes will be 10 minutes in duration.

Votes:

7: Levin amendment #28: (repeal of 1099 with oil and gas offset) (60-vote threshold);

Not Agreed To: 44-54

8: Stabenow motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to Stabenow amendment #9: (repeal of 1099 with unspent discretionary funds offset, exempts DoD, VA and Social Security Administration);

Waived: 81-17 (subsequently agreed to by consent)

9: McConnell motion to waive Budget Act with respect to McConnell amendment #13: (repeal of health care reform);

Not Agreed To: 47-51

There will be no further roll call votes tonight.

Unanimous Consent:

Adopted S.Res.30, a resolution celebrating February 2, 2011, as the 25th anniversary of ‘National Women and Girls in Sports Day’.

Adopted S.Res.36, a resolution raising awareness and encouraging the prevention of stalking by designating January 2011 as “National Stalking Awareness Month”.

Adopted S.Res.37, a resolution recognizing the goals of Catholic Schools Week.

Adopted S.Res.38, a resolution congratulating Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on its 100th anniversary.

Adopted S.Res.39, a resolution congratulating the Auburn University football team for winning the 2010 Bowl Championship Series National Championship.

Adopted S.Res.40, a resolution congratulating the University of Akron men’s soccer team on winning the National Collegiate Athletic Associate Division I Men’s Soccer Championship.